Focal Discharges in Photosensitive Generalized Epilepsy

Abstract

The International League Against Epilepsy regularly proposes new classifications of epilepsy and epileptic syndromes (Gastaut and Merlis, 1970; Dreifuss et al., 1985). These classifications generally consider epilepsies with generalized seizures (generalized epilepsies) separately from those with partial or focal seizures (localization-related, partial, or focal epilepsies). In the most recent proposal of classification, it was recognized “that the dichotomy of generalized and localization-related epilepsies is not applicable in all cases because occasionally both generalized and focal features may be present in one patient, or neither of these features may be evident” (Dreifuss et al., 1985). If one goes into the details of one third of such classes of epilepsies (the first one being localization-related epilepsies and syndromes, the second one generalized epilepsies and syndromes) one will find:

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